'Jimmy Butler is $95M richer but that doesn't really change his status with Bulls.'

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...ler-bulls-haugh-spt-0703-20150702-column.html

 

If Butler can keep playing like he did last season, he's worth the contract.

He's not a MVP level player (based on last season) and isn't a guy that is going to lead a team to a title as the main guy (based on last season) but he's a nice to have.

What remains to be seen is how effective can he be without Thibs and does he have the drive to play like a star now that he's been paid.

As for winning a title, if he's our best player, we probably are not winning one. That opens up another can of worms, assuming the goal is to win a title.

He's probably good enough to get us to the 1st round of the playoffs every year with decent supporting cast, assuming he can still bring it without Thibs.

If Rose and Mirotic can somehow become a "big 3" with him over the next two seasons that would be a good thing.

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Some might think that the big contract doesn't change his status with the Bulls, but the important thing is what Jimmy thinks. If Jimmy thinks he's "the man" and Rose and Team Rose think that #1 is "the man" that's going to be an issue. I guess there where Freddy Del Hoiberg starts earning his millions. Huge part of being a NBA coach is ego management, motivating narcissistic millionaires and stopping potential squabbles like Butler / Rose from becoming a big deal. Easier said than done.....

 

Not at all. See Stephon Curry, Klay Thompson post-Mark Jackson. LeBron James post-Mike Brown, Eric Spolestra.

Ballers don't lose their ability because the coach changes.

Absolutely a concern.

 

You really don't think that the system/environment a player plays in can impact his effectiveness? Really?

 

I do not believe it will have any significant impact on Jimmy Butler.

 

You might think that, but it remains to be seen if that is what actually happens.

If there is anything behind Rose versus Butler it will take strong and savvy leadership to make sure that the season does not unravel.

Also, will Butler be an elite defender without a hard driving coach in a defensive system? Also remains to be seen........

 

...as long as he is healthy.

 

I've gotta tell ya that this "Thibodeau-centric" way of viewing the Bulls world strikes me as pretty bizarre. I've been a sports fan for a damn long time and have never seen anything quite like this perceived omnipotence of a coach/manager. Normally, the dynamic goes the other way, e.g., will PJax be a superstar coach without Jordan (or Shaq or Kobe). If history shows us anything, it's that great players who have their head coaches taken away from them fare far better than head coaches who have their great players taken away from them.

Most of the Thibs-centric stuff I've seen on this site is pure narrative engineering. What frightens me most is the apparent sincerity.

 

Skewed worldview.

 

As the Bulls move from the Thibs era to whatever the next era is (Hoiball?) one of the main stories will be how the team fares going forward versus the Thibs era.

Over the last 5 years there have been a lot of change from the player personal standpoint. The ups and downs of Rose. Nate. DJ. Deng. The one year where Noah was a 1st team all-NBAer and got MVP votes. The emergence of Butler. The constants were strong play, solid, at times league leading defense, winning, being bested by Lebron James in the playoffs and Thibs.

I hate to break it to you, but how the team holds up next season and how it changes is going to be one of the main narratives, either for the worse or the better.

You are right, in the case of coaches like Phil Jackson, the players were the main story, because he had a few 1st ballot HOFers, the GOAT and a couple others in the top 20 of the GOATs. Thibs never had that type of player, but the Bulls were still an elite team at times.

Thibs is to modern NBA defense what D'Antoni was to offense. Sometimes the team is tied to the coach. D'Antoni and the Suns are a good example of this actually. Great play and a particular style. Nash never wins a MVP again after D'Antoni leaves and the Suns miss the playoffs the following year and have only made the playoffs 1 out of the last 7 seasons.

 

k4, your entire post is off-topic for this thread, and really deserves its own.

 

Just replying to transplant's post and yours. (you liked transplant's post, even though it had nothing to do with Jimmy Butler either)

Shape up or ship out. (or just stop complaining about other posters and post some actual basketball thoughts of your own, if you have any)

 

Those two were germane to Butlers individual future performance.

The narratives surrounding the team performance and the team moving into the Hoiberg era are not.

Kindly stay on topic, and feel free to start another thread to discuss the topics you'd like to discuss.

(Edit: I see you ninja-edited your post after reading this. Good. It's a start.)

 

Explain how this post has anything to do with Jimmy Butler.

or your post

You need to get your own act together before you start scolding anyone else.

Any thoughts on other posters should be private. Stick to hoops, if you are able to.

 

Because Jimmy doesnt need Thibs in his ear to be a good basketball player. The thought that he'd regress simply because the coach was sent packing is ludicrous in the extreme.

 

You really don't think that the system/environment a player plays in can impact his effectiveness? Really?

For instance, does Stephen Curry win the MVP in the triangle offense for the Knicks this season? Probably not. Many credit the hiring of Steve Kerr as the catalyst that made the Warriors thrive this season.

Does Steve Nash win 2 MVPs not playing D'Antoni ball? No, right?

Environment / system certainly matters.

 

And I said when/where that it didn't?

You're impossible.

 

The coach certainly has a lot to do with the system and Thibs had much to do with the environment.

Please cut it out with the personal stuff and stick to hoops.

 

Jimmy will be just fine without Thibs. Perhaps even better.

I wonder how Thibs will be without Jimmy.

 

Perhaps he will be better. Perhaps not. Jimmy was a super excellent basketball player last year. A lot will depend on the style of ball Freddy Del Hoiberg implements and what kind of locker room /environment he manages. You can't have everyone playing "Hero Ball."

Making millions and millions of dollars of Uncle Jerry's money while waiting for his next gig.

I think Thibs knows that he can coach a team to the best record in the NBA without strong contributions from Jimmy Butler.




Looks like Thibs and Jimmy are doing just fine.